When injury stops your workout

Press, 27 February 1986, Page 9

When injury stops your workout

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When I mention exercise injury, you probably visualise physical complications and pain. A hamstring is pulled, an ankle is sprained or a bone is fractured. Therapy requires rest, examination and rehabilitation, right? Well, almost. A complete recovery plan also should include some of emotional theorapy.

Think about it. You exercise regularly for a number of reasons. It makes you feel good. Your body runs more efficiently. It’s a great stress reliever. It keeps your weight down. It gives you time to socialise with friends or time to be alone with your thoughts. Basically, you exercise because it improves the quality of your life. What happens when injury takes all that away? Putting injury in this perspective, it’s not surprising that our emotional well-being is affected as much as our physical condition when w’e are unable to exercise. I have mentioned several times before the positive effects exercise has on self-esteem. Injuries which force us to become inactive attack our sense f security and control.

Common after-effects include depression, irritability, stress, anger and denial. Denial is the most damaging because individuals continue to pursue their chosen activity, leading to greater injury.

How can we deal with the emotional strains of physical injury? Psychologist Gary de Voss suggests the following coping strategies: First, prepare yourself

JUDI SHEPPARD MISSETT

for disappointment and frustration. You cannot take a chiild’s favourite toy away without triggering an emotional reaction. The same goes for your exercise programme. For whatever reason, your workout is a highlight, and its disappearance from your schedule is a tough adjustment. Simply understanding that these reactions are normal can ease the aggravation.

Second, try and focus on positive aspects of your life. Don’t let your negative reactions to injury turn into negative .thoughts about other areas of your life.

When you can’t exercise physically, exercise positive thinking instead. “I will heal and recover in time”; “I may not be able to run, but I can swim in the meantime”; “this gives me more time to spend with my children for the next few weeks”; and so forth.

Do your best to maintain your regular habits. Much of our love for exercise actually is a love of things assciated with our workout. If you exercise with others, try to maintain contact with those people throughout your rehabilitation.

Exercise is a form of recreaction; even if you can’t workout, you still can give your self that “personal time.” A great deal of our enjoyment of exercise is the temporary relief it offers from responsibilities and worries. When injury takes that away, fill, the void by taking yourself to a movie, watching the sunset in the park of listening to your favourite

album. And don’t forget that most injuries do allow some form of activity. Capitalise on the things that you can still do. If shin splints make running or dance exercise

impossible, try swimming. Has a knee injury bumped you off the basketball court or soccer field? Try cycling until it has healed. Whatever your injury may be, you can stay flexible.

Remember, patience is your best ally during injury. Take it slow and keep your sense of humour — you’ll be back in action before you know it! Copyright Jazzercise Inc.